Hubeetus geraerdts and willem geraerdts



UNirEn STATES ?ATENT DFFIGE.

I'IUBERTUS GERAERDTS AND WVILLEH GERAERDTS, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

FIREPROOF CEILING OR WALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,693, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed. July 16, 1895. Serial No. 566,181. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we,HUBERTUs GERAERDTS and WILLEM GERAERDTs, citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and residents of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fireproof Ceilings or WValls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of fireproof ceilings or walls in which a number of fireproof plates or slabs are employed that are connected by means of metallic tenons or pins that enter into mortises of the adjacent plates, the plates being preferably provided with longitudinal grooves at their inner edges, which grooves are filled up with cement so as to produce a good joint, while the inner faces of the plates are covered with a layer of plaster or other suitable material.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures], 2, and 3 are respectively a front elevation, an end view, and a top view of the improved fireproof plates or slabs which are used in the construction of our fireproof ceilings and walls. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section on line 4 4:, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the individual plates or blocks, which are employed in the construction of our improved fireproof ceilings and walls. The plates or blocks Ct are provided with transverse mortises or openings that extend into the plates or blocks, and which mortises or openings serve for inserting metallic tenons or pins 1), which extend into the adjacent plates or blocks a and form thereby a stiif structure therewith. The ends of the plates or blocks a are provided with mortises for receiving tenons d, which extend into the corresponding mortises of the adjacent ends of the plates or blocks, so that the plates or blocks a, are connected not only in a transverse direction with the adjacent side plates or blocks, but also in a longitudinal direction with the plates at the ends of the same. The plates or blocks amay be made of any desired size, preferably of such a size as to correspond to the size of the ordinary blocks used in brown-stone fronts. In larger sizes of the plates or blocks the inner sides of the same may be provided with cavities so as to reduce the weight. In smaller sizes the platesor blocks may be made solid throughout their thickness. The plates or blocks may be made smooth at both sides, or one side may be made smooth and the other side molded into any suitable ornamental shape, as desired. Each plate or block is provided at its edges with longitudinal grooves a, into which suitable cement is placed,so that a solid joint is'obtained at the meeting edges of the plates or blocks.

Any suitable plastic composition may be used for making the plates or blocks. For inside use a composition in the nature of plaster-of-paris is the principal ingredient, while for exterior use a good quality of cement may be used, to which a suitable pigment is added so as to impart the color of brown stone or any other stone. The plates or blocks are molded in the shop and carried to the place of use, they serving for making partitionwalls and exterior walls of buildings, while they can also be used for making fireproof ceilings, in which the plates or blocks are connected by metallic pins or tenons and mortises in the adjacent faces of the plates or blocks in the same manner as the blocks for the partition or other walls. When the plates or blocks are used for ceilings, they can be attached in any suitable manner to wooden floor-beams, and then finished off by a suitable layer of plaster at the under side, or they may be supported by the iron floor-beams.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A fireproof wall, consisting of a series of thin plates or blocks placed edge to edge and provided with grooves in their sides and ends, and with registering mortises in the grooved edges thereof, and metallic tenons for connecting the plates or blocks at the sides and ends, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUBERTUS GERAERDTS. WVILLEM GER AERDTS.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, GEORGE W. JAEKEL. 

